This invention relates to training devices for sports involving balls which are thrown or projected in some other manner, such as baseball, tennis, lacrosse, and golf, among other things. The strong, patriotic tradition of baseball in the United States has led to the creation of various training devices for the particular benefit of baseball players. Baseball throwing, fielding and pitching training devices are desirable for a number of applications. Many coaches have a number of individuals to train simultaneously, and a training device can allow for more practice for the trainees without requiring constant one on one interaction with the coach. This not only increases efficiency, but prevents injury to the coach that can result from overworking certain muscle groups, such as a throwing arm. By incorporating the use of a training device into their routine, coaches can enable or provide the same amount of practice to their trainees without requiring undue physical exertion on the coach's part.
Even a coach who has teammates practice between each other still has use for these devices. Some players will have substantially more or less skill level than other players, and to meet their individual needs, the coach can incorporate a training device into the training to either help the trainee continue to excel beyond the level of the others, or to allow this individual to work at his or her own pace to reach the level of the other players.
These training devices are also desirable for players who do not have access to another individual with whom they can practice. Whether for financial reasons, or as a result of social or family circumstances, some individuals cannot utilize another individual in practice. Instead, they are required to use a training device to hone their skills.
There are many reasons for using pitching or throwing training devices. Two are particularly relevant to the present invention. First, players need to refine their accuracy, especially pitchers with regards to pitching. Pitchers can make or break a game for the entire team depending on a margin of error that could be less than an inch. Other players also need accuracy training, because the infielder who throws just a little too high over the head of the first baseman, or cannot field the ball properly, will not receive jovial cheers in the post game celebration.
Second, players need to build up the strength and endurance of their throwing arm, in order to throw farther and faster in the game. A pitcher with razor-sharp accuracy is virtually worthless if his arm gets tired after a few pitches. Likewise, the infielder who cannot throw the ball to the first baseman fast enough will never get the runner out, no matter how accurate his throw.
Thus, in baseball training, players need to utilize not only those exercises that generate accuracy, but also exercises that increase strength and endurance and improve reflexes. With regards to exercises that utilize training devices, some exercises require a device which will absorb the kinetic energy of a thrown ball, and simply let it fall to the ground without any rebound. For instance, a pitcher is vulnerable to a ricocheting ball in the moments after releasing the pitch, and it is desirable that, for the purposes of practice, the pitcher not be subject to the risk of getting knocked in the head with every returning pitch. Other exercises require a device to rebound the ball with substantially the same amount of force with which it was thrown.
Ball stopping training devices are known in the art. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,240, issued to Geoffrey Humboldt on Nov. 12, 1996, for a baseball backstop for pitching training; U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,274, issued to Mark D. Bidema on Mar. 26, 1991, for a baseball batting practice device; U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,740, issued to Leroy L. Peterson on Feb. 18, 1992, for a practice backstop for ball playing sports; U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,8561, issued to Jonathan S. Gery on Aug. 2, 1994, for a pitching practice apparatus. None of the existing ball stopping devices include any mechanism whereby a ball will rebound to the person throwing it.
Ball rebounding training devices are also known in the art. For example, see U.S. Design Pat. No. D462, 733, issued to Christopher Smith on Sep. 10, 2002, for a baseball rebounder; U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0178585 A1, by Anthony Consenza, on Mar. 14, 2003, for a strike zone for return throw pitching assemblies. The existing ball rebounding devices do not include any mechanism whereby the kinetic energy of a ball will be absorbed, allowing the ball to simply drop to the ground.
It is inconvenient to maintain two different devices for these various exercises. Not only will they require substantial space to use, even when placed immediately next to each other, they are also difficult to transport to such places as a practice field, or a game for warm-ups. Furthermore, the expense of maintaining two devices for all of the players on a team becomes too costly for a coach or team to bear. The cost may also be too high for an individual whose family is far enough below median income levels, thus preventing them from practicing necessary exercises at home on their own time.